1. Field of the Invention
In general, disclosed herein is a health management kit. More particularly, disclosed herein is a health management kit that allows a user to monitor and manage an organism's health by promoting preventive measures to maximize the health of the organism and to allow for a heightened awareness of the organism's physical condition in relation to the organism's daily activities.
2. Background of the Invention
As the literature supports, preventive steps for the early detection of disease greatly reduces the onset of morbidity and mortality. For example, referring to “The Guide to Clinical Preventive Services”, “age-adjusted mortality from stroke has decreased by more than 50% since 1972, a trend attributed in part to earlier detection and treatment of hypertension.” “The Guide to Clinical Preventive Services”, 2nd ed., International Medical Publishing, Inc. (1998), pp. XXV-XXVI. Stressing the importance of preventive measures, “The Guide to Clinical Preventive Services” states: “[a]lthough immunizations and screening tests remain important preventive services, the most promising role for prevention in current medical practice may lie in changing the personal health behaviors of patients long before clinical disease develops. The importance of this aspect of clinical practice is evident from a growing literature linking some of the leading causes of death in the U.S. . . . to a handful of personal health behaviors.” Id. at XXVI. Unfortunately, for a variety of reasons, including, for example, inadequate reimbursement for preventive services, fragmentation of health care delivery, insufficient time with patients to deliver the range of preventive services that are recommended, and uncertainty among clinicians as to which services should be offered, patients are not receiving the full benefit of the preventive measures currently available. See Id.
Accordingly, what is needed is a device wherein a user can perform particular physical health checks on a regular basis such that the user can better monitor, and hence manage, his or another's physical health, wherein such testing would check for vital signs that are often linked with a particular illness or disease. Such a kit would further causally link behavioral patterns, such as overeating, smoking, and the like, to the vital signs by allowing the user to record the vital signs as well as behavioral patterns, such as, caloric intake, number of cigarettes smoked on a particular day, exercise, and the like.
Such regular testing, documenting, and monitoring of an organism's vital signs are important as these actions may lead to the early detection of aberrant physical conditions, such as, for example, hypertension, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, internal hemorrhaging, anemia, and the like, such that the afflicted individual can reduce or eliminate the condition prior to the development of an illness or disease associated with the condition.
Accordingly, what is needed in the art is a health management kit that provides a user with the means to detect, record, and monitor certain physical conditions or vital signs, such as, for example, heart rate, blood pressure, glucose levels, cholesterol levels, body mass index, weight, hemorrhaging, and the like, wherein such physical conditions oftentimes result in or indicate the presence of disease. Detecting, recording, and monitoring these vital signs can better manage an organism's physical health. Additionally, should a user of the health management kit notice any aberrations in vital signs, the user will be more likely to consult with a primary care provider sooner than if the health management was not conducted.
In addition to a health management kit that allows a user to easily determine, document, and monitor vital signs, further needed is a health management kit that also allows for the documentation and tracking of physical activities that tend to affect physical health, wherein such physical activities may include, for example, caloric intake, exercise, cigarette smoking, and the like. Also, in order to interpret the results of the various tests and/or devices that detect the vital signs, what is needed is a health management kit that includes informational materials such as guidelines indicating normal vital signs for a particular height, weight, sex, and age. Also needed, is a health management kit that provides an exercise means for engaging an organism in physical activity, such that the vital signs of the organism may be taken after the organism has participated in such physical activity. Also needed is a tool to allow the user to assess for risk factors for disease.
Furthermore, what is needed is a health management kit that allows for the ready storage and portable carry of the detection, documentation, and exercise means, and of the information materials. Such a carrier will better ensure that the means and informational materials are readily available and will reduce the chance of misplacing any particular component belonging in the health management kit. Additionally, the carrier will better allow a user to use the health management kit both at home and in public.